Did Mansell's Ginetta make it round the first lap in 2010 or was that a lap one issue?

Sticking to that theme was it that year that Autocon failed if not on lap one then not a million miles afterwards?

I think Mansell binned it on the third lap, from memory. I can't remember the Autocon moment - which year was that?

Laps two and three have not gone without incident, and that's probably a measure of just how carefully everyone drives the first lap. Think it was the third lap in 2001 where there was a huge pile-up caused by a flash flood.

Julian Bailey in a Nissan slamming into the back of a Jaguar early enough in the race is one that springs to mind for me, don't think it was the first lap. Both cars out, T. Walkinshaw was not at all happy because it happened and so early in the race. The things he had to say about Bailey....

Not happy wither was Martin Donnelly as he was part of the Nissan crew and something similar happened at Daytona earlier the year when his car was wiped out early by another Jag (Daly and Roe I believe involved?). Donnelly didn't get to drive there either. 2 cars crashed, 3 Irishmen out as Donnelly commented at the time.

It just wasn't meant to be.....

__________________
All the same, isn't there a grand oul stretch in the evenings...

Julian Bailey in a Nissan slamming into the back of a Jaguar early enough in the race is one that springs to mind for me, don't think it was the first lap. Both cars out, T. Walkinshaw was not at all happy because it happened and so early in the race. The things he had to say about Bailey....

I don't think the Jag was taken out of the race by that accident, if I remember correctly it was the #2 car and the result sheet shows it completing 215 laps, so it made it to the night at least (but well-delayed).

If I remember correctly (dominant memory from 2010 is still the Peugeot engine detonations, and it still hurts a bit to recall) Autocon had enormous trouble with the car as soon as they rolled it off the truck from the airport terminal, completed very few laps in practice and qualifying (I see they qualified LMP2 mid-pack with an LMP1 car), and the transmission broke on the first racing lap.

Thanks Pascal. I knew it was early in the race but couldn't remember precisely when. I still smile at the thought of Dorchy turning ninety degrees left instead of right at the end of what was still in those days, the Mulsanne Straight. A classic case of human error.

Another one: Frere/Fairman/de Portago at the Esses in 1956, second lap. All caused by Frere's error. In his autobiography he headed the chapter "mea culpa"